Like some people over the age of 40, I am developing joint pain. I am also a fitness fanatic. These two features can work well together or be disastrous. After going through other similar training regimens, I got huge health benefits, but I had some pretty intense joint pain. It was beyond the “no pain, no gain” stuff – this was a total pain in the bone. So when I found out that Georges St. Pierre (GSP), one of the best MMA (mixed martial arts) fighters in the world, had just released a home training regimen on DVD, I had to check it out. He was, of course, a bit skeptical and concerned as GSP is not a very talkative guy and was still a bit sore from my last cycle of another regimen. However, I was not disappointed as GSP Rushfit is not as hard on the joints as my previous training cycle. GSP is also a pretty colorful guy, which made the DVDs a lot easier to watch than I thought they would be.
The GSP Rushfit package itself is a pretty complete kit. Includes the main course on multiple DVDs, along with bonus DVDs with additional exercises for total body conditioning and one for balance and agility. Also included are three training calendars, one for beginners, intermediates and experts, and additional guides with training tips and nutritional information. Seven workouts in total are included, each lasting around 50 minutes (including warm-up and cool-down). Obviously, the package is professionally made, so there are no complaints about the quality of the book or the video.
One may be surprised that GSP does not actually lead the exercises. His trainer, Erik Owings, leads the actual workouts while Georges sits alongside. Erik does the most talking of the two, with GSP contributing color commentary where appropriate. Erik Owings is an accomplished MMA fighter, so the workouts certainly have an MMA theme. You certainly get a “fighting focus” with these routines, and Erik does an adequate job of transforming mundane exercises into fighting techniques. This is of course not a self defense course, but it certainly has an MMA theme. Most men, and many women, will still enjoy this as it breaks up the monotony of other exercise routines.
The main advantage of GSP Rushfit in this genre is that it is a little less hard on the joints. I found that after my GSP Rushfit cycle I didn’t feel as much pain as after trying other multi-week fitness plans. My knees and elbows weren’t bruised, and I felt that GSP Rushfit’s focus on stretching and warming up the joints relieved the pressure on my joints. This was a huge benefit to me and is why I will be putting the other DVD series on the shelf for a long time.
GSP Rushfit has been a very fun and effective addition to my home training regimen. It’s easy on my joints but keeps the intensity high and for that reason I’m sticking with it.
